Not applicable.
Not Applicable.
This invention relates in general to axle centers for automotive vehicles and more particularly to axle centers which have the capacity to vary and control the torque transmitted through them.
Automotive vehicles have their road wheels arranged on so-called xe2x80x9caxlesxe2x80x9d, with the wheels of any axle being generally aligned across the vehicle. When the wheels of an axle drive the vehicle, they are coupled to individual axle shafts which are, in turn, coupled to the transmission of the vehicle through an axle center. Normally the axle center contains a differential which delivers torque to both wheels of the axle, but allows one wheel to rotate at a different velocity than the other, so that the vehicle can negotiate turns. But the typical differential does not provide any control over the distribution of torque between the wheels of the axle.
In all-wheel drive vehicles a similar problem exists. In such a vehicle the wheels of the front axle and the wheels of the rear axle have torque delivered to them, often with little control over how the torque is distributed between the two axles. To be sure, more sophisticated vehicles have clutches for controlling the distribution of torque between the front and rear axles, but these clutches are complex, relatively large and heavy, and furthermore require complex controls.
The present invention resides in an axle center that includes a torque coupling through which the torque for driving wheels passes. The coupling contains a planetary set and a clutch coupled together so that torque transfers through the coupling in two pathsxe2x80x94a mechanical path and a clutch path. The axle center may have a single coupling connected to its pinion shaft or two couplings, one at each location where torque is delivered from the axle center to the wheels through axle shafts.